Arkansas says Texas A&M band can come, but not perform

Posted by Kevin McGuire on September 26, 2013, 9:59 PM EDT

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Texas A&M is hitting the road for an SEC West contest at Arkansas this weekend, but the host Razorbacks will not be welcoming the Texas A&M marching band to perform. Why? Because Arkansas only has a limited time to recognize those from the university.

“With a limited number of home games on campus, we have limited opportunities to recognize those from the University and former student-athletes, groups etc., so we must maximize the opportunities we do have,” Kevin Trainor, University of Arkansas Associate Athletic Director for Public Relation, said to TV station KBTX in College Station.s.

Arkansas has seven home games split between D.W.R. Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville and War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. This weekend’s game against Texas A&M will be held in Fayetteville.

“Apparently in the SEC, you have to ask that university permission to perform at halftime. So we sent a letter asking. They sent one back that said you can come to the game, but you can’t perform at halftime,” said Karly Hartman, a senior in the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band, according to KBTX. The road trip to the Arkansas game had apparently been booked but with not being able to perform the band decided to cancel the trip and cancel 100 hotel rooms for the trip.

It’s not just the band that is not going to be allowed on the field this weekend. Arkansas also has a policy against live animal mascots on their home field, which means Texas A&M’s famous collie, Reveille, will also not be on the sideline.

Every school is entitled to make their own rules of course, but keeping a marching band from performing seems to be petty in most cases. Maryland did not allow West Virginia’s band to perform in Baltimore last weekend, but the case for Arkansas is a little different. The Razorbacks will be honoring their SEC Legend of the Year at halftime, so time really is short. In fact, Arkansas has informed College Football Talk Texas A&M was informed of the halftime limitations more than a year and a half ago, when the series moved back to campus. The decision not to travel was made by Texas A&M.

We stayed in Muskogee when we took the Texas cheerleaders to Fayetteville years ago and barely got out of Arkansas with Texas license plates on our three vehicles. The folks in Arkansas were rude so this is nothing new in not allowing the Fighting Aggie Band to perform. Jerks!

foreverlsu says:Sep 26, 2013 10:37 PM

Since when do visiting opposing bands play at halftime in the SEC? Why this story in the first place?
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Hogette, you should leave the state more often. Auburn brought a full band to LSU last week and just about every SEC team brings a full band to another venue at least once a year …except Ar-Kansas I guess. Go back to the Southwest Conference!

Arkansas has no traditions besides that childish pig woo sooie or whatever the hell its called so they don’t want to be overshadowed when teams like Texas A&M, Lsu, Auburn, Bama, UT, UF, UGA, etc. come to town.

Thefeisty1. Exactly how many Arkansans did you actually run into? 3? There’s plenty of OU, TU, AU fans living here and we all get along. I get a few looks in Dallas when I have my Angels gear and that doesn’t make me believe everyone in Texas is rude. Stop generalizing when you don’t know what you’re talking about.

So are you guys going to print a retraction on the Floyd Mayweather article about him laying 300 large on A&M -3? Because that point spread is wrong. Thanks for giving me the biggest hard on since I got married 10 years ago only for it to be for nothing.

@arkyhalo I’m going to assume since he was in Fayetteville he saw more than 3 people from Arkansas. Unless only 3 people live in Fayetteville. Which I have no idea because I have never been to Arkansas.

Petty? Come on, Brett Beilama is the head coach at Arkansas. If asked, he’ll just put on his confused face. Bucky Fan knows it well. Hog Fan is learning it fast.

wilburmills says:Sep 27, 2013 6:02 AM

That is the hog fans’ loss…In the old SWC days the Aggie Band came to Fayetteville every year and their halftime shows were great….course it was always the same and they only knew about 3 songs (Theme from “Patton”, Strategic Air Command March, Aggie War Hymn)…..this has nothing to with Coach B you whiney Wisconsin folks!!!

handsofsweed says:Sep 27, 2013 7:48 AM

I’ve got the perfect solution. Run the score up on Arkansas.

(Save the “They can’t, they just better worry about winning first” crap. They certainly can post 70-80 and hopefully they will.)

#1 Arkansas already has something planned for halftime and Texas A&M has known this for over a year so if your sad then consukt your AD.
#2 I have lived in both states and college station thinks since manziel came they are the better than other locations. I don’t think so. Manziel is not college station. College station is smaller than Fayetteville!!
#3 Once manziel leaves you will suck again. #4 Texas A&M fans are some serious crybabies. Awe boo are band can’t play.
Get off your period and Shut up! This is football. Get over it.

@Francis55- No tradition? Childish? Really? Texas A&M has no tradition in the SEC. If you wanna use the word childish then Childish is your mascot. Its a collie! Hahaha!!!!! At least have a decent dog mascot. What a joke! A Collie!! Hahaha!!

Leave on your high horse Manziel as long as you can. He is the only reason Texas A&M is known. Before Manziel you were over shadowed by Texas, Texas Tech and TCU. Once Manziel leaves you will be known as the school that Manziel went to and be back to reality..

clonefan says:Sep 27, 2013 8:43 AM

As an Iowa State fan I enjoyed watching the Aggie band when they came to Ames. Great band and a class bunch of people. They tend be more of a true marching band and they do it very well. On their last trip to ISU my crazy dad thanked everyone of them as they exited the field and everyone of them politely thanked him. A class bunch. I would gladly let them perform at halftime any time and then hope I beat the socks of their team (OK, I know I am dreaming on that last part, but give a guy a break….)

As an Arkansas fan I think it’s ridiculous it’s even being brought up. Let’s just worry about football keep the highschool drama at home.

noaxetogrind says:Sep 27, 2013 12:02 PM

I clearly have no skin in this but please explain to me your viewpoint if you think Arkansas is the bad guy here. Over 18 months ago they informed A&M of their intentions. A&M having been advised of the situation still goes out and alegedly secures 100 hotel rooms and then acts hurt and offended when they are reminded of the previous stipulation. In fairness to A&M, maybe they aren’t hurt and offended as I do not know who originated this story the week of the game. If it was A&M, then clearly they have an agenda. If it was the media, well we know they always have an agenda and apologies to both A&M and Arkansas are in order.

To be honest, someone probably made a mistake here. If A&M was truly told about this 18 months ago, somebody obviously forgot…. It does sound like we are getting a little upset for something we did to ourself…

I honestly don’t mind the band thing, completely understandable to me… but Reveille… really?

Arkansas doesn’t allow any live animals on the field. Not just Reveille. Even Arkansas’s mascot Tusk (400lb Boar) is in a cage outside the stadium. Policy Arkansas has had for a long time and again shouldn’t come to a surprise to Texas A&M. Lots of schools dont allow love animals on the field.

Funny to me how people think Arkansas is a non educated back woods group of people. If you actually look at real statistics Texas and Arkansas’s educational progress is only 1 or 2 points away from each other. lol

Check the act and sat scores. People that can’t read in Texas probably don’t pay to take these tests and the results are about the same. You know what they say. “Excuses are like a-holes every has one.” I’m originally Tyler Texas so I have seen both states. They are pretty much the same.

Hog fans see no problem with denying the opposing team’s band an opportunity to perform during half-time, and they see no problem with denying access to the stadium for live mascots. Hog fans believe the fact the Aggies were informed of this 18 months ago should make it “fair dinkum”. In fact, allowing opposing bands to play during half time is the tradition followed by the overwhelming majority of college venues, and allowing access to the stadium for live mascots is the tradition followed by the overwhelming majority of college venues. Aggies have every right to think those Arkansas policies are outside the norm, and if I’m not mistaken, they believe you Hog fans are a bunch of “pikers” for defending the policies. I agree with the Aggies! Go Red Wolves! LMAO!

I’m from Alabama BTW born and bred. Before you start calling us “Forrest Gumps” you need to think it through.

Forrest Gump was a high school football player who went on to play college football at Alabama.He became an All American in football and joined the service. He won the MoH and represented his country internationally in table tennis detente with China.

Upon release from the service, he returned home and started a new business from scratch with his own money. Attaining wealth, he shared it with his community and with people he cared for.

Oh, and he married his childhood sweetheart and fathered a child whom he raised after her death.

so, you can try to throw out “unedumacated” to people of Alabama, we say “Thanks!”
and remember that people that throw that toward us are as Forrest said “Stupid is,, stupid does.”

Check the act and sat scores. People that can’t read in Texas probably don’t pay to take these tests and the results are about the same. You know what they say. “Excuses are like a-holes every has one.” I’m originally Tyler Texas so I have seen both states. They are pretty much the same.

So?

It takes an Alabama grad to correct a product of Texas education. The sentence should read “I’m originally FROM Tyler, Texas so I have seen both states.” I guess you missed diagramming sentences and punctuation in YOUR English class.

Doesn’t matter, the shirt IS funny even if you take exception to it. Who cares?

RTR

PS- Doesn’t the football coach at Arkansas remind you of Curly out of the Three Stooges?

Did you really just claim a fictional character and all of his fictional acomplishments for Alabama??

Anoesis says:Sep 27, 2013 4:18 PM

I got quite a laugh when I found out Arkansas has a law forbidding the mispronunciation of the state name. If you say R Kansas you can get arrested. There’s a bunch of other laws about animals, too, so I guess we shouldn’t be surprised about no Reveille on the grass.

floridacock says:Sep 27, 2013 4:41 PM

A&M should at least take a pep band to play in the stands for their team and fans. Big deal they don’t get to play for a 3/4 empty stadium during half time. Nobody is listening then anyway. Bad move canceling.

kylepalm says:Sep 27, 2013 4:44 PM

Leave it to Texas A&M to be told a year in advance that the band couldn’t perform and then to act hurt a week before the game when they get reminded.

floridacock says:
Sep 27, 2013 4:41 PM
A&M should at least take a pep band to play in the stands for their team and fans. Big deal they don’t get to play for a 3/4 empty stadium during half time. Nobody is listening then anyway. Bad move canceling
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“Apparently in the SEC, you have to ask that university permission to perform at halftime. ”
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Kind of a funny quote being it’s A&M’s second year in the conference, meaning that detail should have already been made apparent already last season. Pretty lame, though, that the opposing team’s band can’t play because there are so many Arkansas people to honor. Your eyes glaze over very quickly after a few of those ceremonies; at least the band has some entertainment value.

Hope A&M wins out. Hosting some Aggie friends over this weekend for the Bama- Ole Miss game here in Tuscaloosa. Wallace says his receivers are better than A&M’s. I disagree. Evans is an NFL receiver, not blazing fast, but scared fast. You know the type. Catches the ball and runs like hell because he’s scared to get caught. Kennedy replaced Swope. What ever happened to Eric Dickerson’s cousin?

A&M grew up during the Alabama game. The only way we win that game is to run the ball
with eight men on the offensive line and a blocking back to set up the play action. We had to keep the ball out of Manziel’s hands.

I believe that the talent at A&M is enough this year to win 11 games, maybe 12 if you treat LSU like you treated us last fall.

Point is, We now have an additional rival to “hate” along with LSU, Ole Miss, Auburn, Tennessee, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, et al. Welcome to the SEC family.

Side note, a grandson has decided to attend A&M. He fell in love with A&M and Electrical
Engineering. He got the brains from his late grandmother. We were over there in College Station for the Bama game and he met with the Electrical Engineering staff and I was pleasantly surprised on the initiative that your school President declared having 25,000 engineering students by 2025. Quite ambitious. At least he kept himself in the SEC.

Again, A&M and Missouri have made great additions to the SEC.

RTR

kylepalm says:Sep 27, 2013 7:29 PM

Another thing SEC people will find out about A&M fans over time is that they are masters of masquerading themselves on message boards. On the Rivals and Scout boards they get outed all the time by their IP addresses while masquerading as a fan of another school singing the praises of what great fans A&M has, etc.

For an example, see amosalanzostagg’s post above at Sep 27, 2013 7:19 PM

Letters
Let’s not forget the the past five years. I think the Hogs own the Aggies, anyway when Manzel is gone; you will suck as usual. So don’t get bent out of shape because the hog fans have better things at halftime than watching gay cheerleaders and your over rated band.

You got me. I am a fan of A&M. Unabashed. I’m also a fan of Stanford, USC, Syracuse,Duke,
Florida and Boston College. Why? Life long relationships.

Saw what A&M was made of last year when they visited Tuscaloosa and attended the Junction reunion. Guess what?, I was also at the 1968 Cotton Bowl when Gene Stallings (a future Bama coach) defeated Bear Bryant 20-16. So what? A&M and Bama are intertwined, by decades of athletic history. I’m a proud Bama grad born and bred and have enjoyed a long and storied career working with Colleges, Universities and their respective athletic programs all over the country for over 44 years. The IP address shows Texas, Houston specifically, because that is where I have been the last three years while living with my late wife who was being treated for cancer at M. D Anderson. She died earlier this year. So you outed me as a closet A&M fan. BFD.

Don’t recall ever seeing a visiting team’s band perform during a Badgers game in Madison. And I know that the UW band has not been permitted to attend let alone perform at a number of schools. So, I don’t think this a big issue at all.

I am a hog fan but think A&M is a great addition to the conference and was a great move for their school so they could get some separation from UT and have stood on their own. I personally would love to see the Aggie marching band and think it would be worth the price of admission, but those decisions are not up to me.

The Aggies do have some great tradition…and they love their mascots. They have former mascot collies buried facing the scoreboard so they can hopefully see a winning score. When a wall was placed in the way, the aggies put a tv on the wall so the buried dogs could still see the game! This is hilarious and I have heard it before I found the article below. So who has weird traditions?

No such thing as an inferior Aggie. Ever heard of that 6 degrees philosophy about how we are all connected. I could name a thousand. Henry Thomas & E.T. , D-day. Game of Thrones. George Straight, Modern Family. All of these have connections with A&M. And probably other places too. That is why I believe in the value of good sportsmanship. Some teams don’t know how to show it.

dhardy8207 says:Sep 28, 2013 9:04 AM

They cancelled 100 hotel rooms!!…. Bet the hotels of Fayetteville really appreciated the loss of business as this was probably a welcome boost to their local economy, especially when all of their home games are not scheduled in the same stadium…

I forgive you. You have no knowledge of my life nor of my life experiences. Yes, I am a fan of A&M, yes I do talk about A&M. Doesn’t change the fact that I have an undergrad from Alabama in 1967. Nor does it change the facts of having a Masters and Industry designations necessary for my professional career. Want to talk Bama football? Ask why Derrick Thomas, in my opinion, is the best player in Bama history. Better than Bart Starr, Joe Namath, Kenny Stabler, Lee Roy Jordan.

I really feel sorry for individuals that cannot take people for what they actually are and not what you wanted them to be. It has to be a very shallow and vapid world in which you reside kyle.

Pigs best way to describe the hillbillies and their child attitudes. I remember when Texas UT played the Pig Hillbillies and they would not allow the buses to fill up with gas in their Clinton worthless State. Stay home pigs enjoy your crappy existence I hope the Aggies demolish you guys you can have your little piggy in a cage turn it loose and see how Aggies can bbq the piece of crap animal it is. We shot those things in Texas Hee Haw!. My list of sorry schools ark rates on the bottom. To get into the school you need to have a few missing teeth and be able to tie a shoe. Pretty much it for the education side as well. The Aggie Band is the best thing you could have used at halftime. You lose, losers…Reville does not want to take a shit on your artifical turf not worth the effort.